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{{short description|British Indian province under the nominal sovereignty of Hyderabad State}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
|native_name = 
|conventional_long_name =Berar Province
|common_name =Berar
|nation = [[Hyderabad State]]
|subdivision = [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|Province of British India]] under the nominal sovereignty
|era =
|year_start = 1724
|date_start =
|event_start= The Nizam of [[Hyderabad state|Hyderabad]] becomes the ''de jure'' sovereign of Berar
|year_end = 1903
|date_end =
|event_end= Establishment of the [[Berar Division]]
|event1 =
|date_event1 =
|p1 =Berar Subah
|s1 =Berar Division
|flag_p1 =
|flag_s1 = British Raj Red Ensign.svg
|image_flag =Flag of the State of Hyderabad (18th century-1900).svg
|image_coat =
|image_map =Hyderabad and Berar 1903.jpg
|image_map_caption = Hyderabad and Berar Province in 1903
|capital = [[Achalpur|Ellichpur]]
|stat_area1 = 29,340
|stat_year1 = 1881
|stat_pop1 = 2,672,673
|footnotes = {{EB1911|wstitle=Berar}}
}}
[[File:Map of the Hyderabad princely state (1909).svg|thumb|260px|[[Hyderabad State]] (dark green) and Berar Province not a part of Hyderabad State but also the Nizam's Dominion between 1853 and 1903 (light green).]]
[[File:Narnala fort.jpg|thumb|260px|[[Narnala]] Fort in Berar, 1860.]]
[[File:Princess Durru Shehvar (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Princess Durru Shehvar]] held the title of 'Princess of Berar'.]]

'''Berar Province''', also known as the '''Hyderabad Assigned Districts''', was a province of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]]. After 1853, it was administered by the British, although the Nizam retained formal sovereignty over the province. [[Azam Jah]], the eldest son of the [[Mir Osman Ali Khan|7th Nizam]], held the title of [[Mirza (noble)|Mirza]]-[[Baig]] ("[[Princely State|Prince]]") of Berar, modern day approximately Amravati Division of Vidarbha, Northern Maharashtra.

In 1881, the population of Berar was 2,672,673.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}} The total area of the territory was {{convert|29340|km2|sqmi}}.

After 1 October 1903, the administration of the province was placed under the Commissioner-General for the [[Central Provinces]], as the [[Berar Division]]. In 1936, the territory was renamed as the [[Central Provinces and Berar]], and its legislative assembly was established.

The successor to Berar, with changed boundaries, is [[Amravati Division]] in the [[Vidarbha]] region of [[Maharashtra]].

==History==

===Background===
{{main|Berar Subah}}
Before the Mughal occupation, Berar was a part of the Nizam Shahi Sultanate of Ahmadnagar. It was ceded to Emperor Akbar by [[Chand Bibi]] in 1596, who was unable to stand against the imperial forces led by Prince Mirza Murad. After this initial victory, Prince Mirza Murad settled in Berar, with Balapur as his headquarters. Near Balapur, he founded a new city named Shahpur and constructed a beautiful palace for himself. As his relationship was deteriorating with Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, the commander of the army, Akbar recalled Khan-i-Khanan and sent his trusted friend [[Abul Fazl]] to help him. Mirza Murad died in 1598. After his death, Mirza Daniyal was given the charge as governor of Berar, [[Ahmednagar|Ahmadnagar]], and [[Khandesh]], and Khan-i-Khanan was sent along with Mirza Daniyal. Akbar died in 1605.

In 1611, the southern provinces of Ahmadnagar, Berar, and Khandesh defied Mughal sovereignty under Malik Ambar. Jahangir sent Man Singh and others to crush the revolt. Man Singh died a natural death on 6 July 1614 at Ellichpur. During Jahangir's rule, [[Malik Ambar]], till his death in 1626, recovered a substantial part of the Deccan from the Mughals including Berar. In 1628, the first year of the reign of [[Shah Jahan]] (Mirza Khurram), Berar again came under the Mughal sway.

In 1636, the Mughal possessions in Dakhin (Deccan) were divided into 4 Subahs. [[Berar Subah]] was one of them, with [[Ellichpur]] as its capital, and [[Gavilgad]] as its main fort. Aurangzeb was appointed Viceroy of the four Deccan Subahs for the first time, and he occupied the post for eight years (till 1644). He was again appointed viceroy for the second time in 1653, and he remained in that post till 1657{{clarify|text=[3]|reason=What is it?|date=March 2019}}. During Aurangzeb's reign, Mirza Azam was appointed at Berar, and then Amir Qamaruddin [[Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I|Nizam (I)]] became the Viceroy of Berar. Berar was successively overrun by the Mughals after the Mughals appointed the Maratha Senapati Sawai Shri Shriman Santaji Bhonsle Seena Sahib-e-Subah because Santaji was the father-in-law of Mirza Bedarbakht, son of Mirza Azam, and grandson of Aurangzeb.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In 1720, Maratha Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath had the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi from Berar.

===Nizam and Maratha period===
In 1724, the ''[[Nizam|Nizam-ul-Mulk]]'' [[Qamar ad-Din Chin Qilij Khan Asif Jah I|Asif Jah]] established the independent line of the [[Nizams]] of [[Hyderabad state|Hyderabad]], and thenceforth the latter claimed to be ''de jure'' sovereigns of Berar, with exception of certain districts (Mehkar, Pusad, etc.) ceded to the Maratha [[Peshwa]] in 1760 and 1795. The claim was contested by the Maratha [[Bhonsle|Bhonsla]] rajas of [[Nagpur]], and for more than half a century the country was devastated by wars between the two.

This condition of things was ended by Wellesley's victories at [[Assaye]] and [[Battle of Argaon|Argaon]] (1803), which forced the Bhonsla raja to cede his territories south of Gawilgarh and [[Narnala|Narnala Fort]] and east of the [[Wardha River]]. The forts of Gavilgad and Narnala remained subject to the Bhosale raja of Nagpur.

By the partition treaty of Hyderabad (1804) between [[Nizam]] and the British, these ceded territories in Berar were transferred in perpetual sovereignty to the Nizam, together with some tracts about Sindkhed and Jalna, which had been held by [[Sindhia]]. The treaty of 1822 extinguished Maratha's right to levy tribute (''[[chauth]]''), the Wardha River was fixed as the eastern boundary of Berar, the Melghat and adjoining districts in the plains being assigned to the Nizam, in exchange for the districts east of the Wardha held by the Peshwa.

When Berar was no longer protected by its [[Maratha]] taskmasters, it remained long prey to the turbulent elements let loose by the sudden cessation of the wars. From time to time bands of soldiers, whom the government was powerless to control, scoured the country, and rebellion upon rebellion till 1859, when the last fight against open rebels took place at Chichamba near [[Risod]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

===British Raj===
{{see also|Berar Division}}
At last, the British government intervened, and in 1853, a new treaty was signed with the [[Nizam]], under which the Hyderabad contingent was to be maintained by the British government, while the pay of this force and in satisfaction of other claims, certain districts were assigned to the [[British East India Company]]. It was these "Hyderabad Assigned Districts" that were popularly supposed to form the province of Berar. In 1860, by a new treaty modified in Nizam's favour of 1853, it was agreed that Berar should be held in trust by the British government for the purposes specified in the treaty of 1853.

After 1865, the [[American Civil War]] gave an immense stimulus to Berar's [[cotton]] trade, as did the laying of a railway line across the province.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Building Berar's prosperity on cotton, however, came with a price. During the [[famine]] of 1900, for example, nearly 8.5% of the population died, "with the greatest number of deaths", according to the historian Sven Beckert, "occurring in districts most specialized in cotton production".<ref>{{Cite book|title = Empire of Cotton: a Global History|last = Beckert|first = Sven|publisher = Knopf|year = 2014|location = New York}}</ref>

Through an agreement signed on 5 November 1902, 6th [[Nizam]] [[Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI|Nawab Mir Mahbub Ali Khan]] leased Berar permanently to the British against an annual payment of 25 lakhs Rupees. [[Lord Curzon]] decided to merge Berar with the [[Central Provinces]], and this was proclaimed on 17 September 1903. Thus the [[Central Provinces and Berar]] was born by a Residency Order, dated 30 September 1903, and the administration of Berar was placed under the Chief Commissioner of the Central Provinces.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=25 March 2009 |archive-date=6 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006221954/http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/BULDHANA/his_british%20period.html |publisher=Buldhana District Gazetteer website |title=Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency-Buldhana district-History-British Period |url=http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/BULDHANA/his_british%20period.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 1 October 1903, Berar was placed under the administration of the British Commissioner–General of the Central Provinces. In 1936, with the establishment of the legislative assembly of the "Central Provinces and Berar", the territory was renamed as the [[Central Provinces and Berar]]. Berar became known as [[Berar Division]].

====Administration====
In 1853, after the administration of the province was assigned to the British East India Company by the Nizam following a treaty, it was divided into two districts, South Berar with its headquarters at [[Hingoli]], and North Berar with its headquarters at [[Buldhana|Buldana]]. Both were placed under a deputy commissioner. After the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], Hingoli and its adjoining areas were restored to the Nizam and the province was reconstituted into two districts, East Berar with its headquarters at [[Amravati|Amraoti]], and West Berar with its headquarters at [[Akola city|Akola]].<ref name=amravati>{{cite web|url=http://amravati.nic.in/gazetteer/gazetteerA/history.html#.|title=Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency-Amraoti district-History and Archaeology|publisher=Amravati district website|access-date=25 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410083314/http://amravati.nic.in/gazetteer/gazetteerA/history.html#.|archive-date=10 April 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1864, East Berar was divided into two districts: Amraoti and Southeast Berar (which was first renamed as Wun district and then in 1905, Yeotmal district), with headquarters at [[Yavatmal|Yeotmal]]. In 1867, [[Ellichpur District]] was also carved out of Amraoti.<ref name=amravati/> In 1864, the talukas of Malkapur, Chikhli, and Mehkar were separated from the West Berar District, and a new district, Southwest Berar District, was formed, which was renamed Mehkar District in 1865. In 1867, [[Buldhana|Buldana]] was selected as the district's headquarters, and later the district was renamed as Buldana district.<ref name=buldhana>{{cite web|url=http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/pdf/gazeetter_reprint/Buldhana/history.html#.|title=Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency-Buldhana district-History and Archaeology|publisher=Buldhana District Gazetteer website|access-date=25 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205212848/http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/pdf/gazeetter_reprint/Buldhana/history.html#.|archive-date=5 December 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1868, [[Washim district|Basim district]] was formed.

Berar consisted of one Division with a Commissioner and six districts viz. Amraoti, Ellichpur, Wun, Akola, Buldana, and Basim in 1905. It was rearranged into four Amraoti, Yeotmal, Akola, and Buldana districts. In 1869, municipal administrations were introduced at Amraoti, [[Akola]], Ellichpur, Basim, Yavatmal, and Khamgaon. Later, Shegaon (1881), Akot (1884), and by 1904, four more, became municipal towns.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V07_417.gif |title=Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 7, page 411 - Imperial Gazetteer of India - Digital South Asia Library |access-date=20 February 2021 |archive-date=24 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524065924/https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V07_417.gif |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Officers of Berar Province====
* Commissioner - Lt. Col W Hastings
** Deputy Commissioner - A Godwin-Austen
* Judicial Commissioner - J K Batten
** Civil and Sessions Judge - F W A Prideaux<ref>{{cite book |title= The India list and India Office list |publisher= Great Britain, India Office |year=1903 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3VQTAAAAYAAJ |quote= central provinces and berar. |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3VQTAAAAYAAJ/page/n743 37] }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Berar sultanate]]
* [[Berar Subah]]
* [[Nizam of Hyderabad]]
* [[Vidarbha]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Berar}}
{{coord|20|55|N|77|45|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}
{{Presidencies and provinces of British India}}

[[Category:Regions of Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Provinces of British India]]
[[Category:Berar]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1903]]
[[Category:1724 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Hyderabad State]]
[[Category:History of Vidarbha]]

Berar Province - Revision history

VirgieSalter103 at 07:42, 30 November 2025